Flowers and Apples
by psycho chibbi
Summary: Zoro looks back to his past and doubts his present. Can an a flower, an apple, and a certain blond hold the answer that Zoro's seeking? Oneshot


**Flowers and Apples**

_by: a psycho chibi named Wendy_

_Disclaimer:_ Don't own anything. Nope. Sure don't.

_Warning: _One shot

_Pairing: _None

_Summary:_ Zoro looks back to his past and doubts his present. Can an a flower, an apple, and a certain blond hold the answer that Zoro's seeking?

_Author Rant: _A little story that popped in my head.

Enjoy~

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

"Kuina!"

Glancing up from the white flower she held in her hand, Kuina locked her eyes on a young boy with bright green hair running down the path towards her. "Zoro.. What is it?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

The boy came to a stop in front of the girl perched atop a large rock and pointed back down the path. "Sensei wanted all of us gathered for a demonstration this evening..." Zoro trailed off when he saw the flower held so delicately in his rival's fingers. "What's with the flower?"

Kuina blinked as her attention was abruptly turned back towards the flower. "Ah... A... A boy gave it to me..." she admitted with a faint blush.

Zoro stared blankly for a moment. "... Did you punch him?"

Her blush immediately grew. "No! He.. He was sweet.. A traveler. He's in the port town gathering supplies for a ship." Kuina gently twirled the flower between her fingers, watching the white petals dance. "He said... That a girl should always have a reason to smile..."

A skeptical look was on the boy's tan face. "... You sure you didn't hit him..?"

Rolling her eyes, Kuina roughly poked the center of Zoro's forehead. "Shut up. He was nice, and he was foreign. Had blond hair."

"Blond hair? Don't see that a lot. Did he say where he was from?"

The raven head shook. "No... But he didn't stay long. A man with a peg leg yelled for him, so he had to go. The boy was hurt though. Had bandages on his right hand."

Zoro tilted his head at the added description. "That's a lot of detail for a short encounter."

That had Kuina glaring. "Baka! A swordsman has to be able to recognize everything around them and memorize it!"

"... If you say so... What are you doing here outside the port town anyway? Sensei said it was too dangerous for students on their own." Zoro pointed out with a frown.

At that question, the girl turned her attention to the docks just down the path. There several ships from different places were anchored to get supplied and have various maintenance work done. It was a noisy and lively area that had many different kinds of people wandering around from all across the world. Kuina looked to the docks with a thoughtful expression. "I like watching the ships sailing in... This world is so big, Zoro... Where we are is only a speck...There's so much to see out there... That's another reason I dream of being the best... Having to travel the world searching for people... Strong people to test my skills on."

It wasn't what he had expected, but the idea had Zoro smiling. "That sounds fun. Would you want to travel on your own?"

Kuina thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No... I don't think it would be as good if I was alone. I would at least want a sparring partner. Someone that could watch my back... But I would really love finding a nakama."

"Nakama..?" Zoro repeated curiously.

"A group of people you travel with. They protect and support each other while helping each other achieve their dreams. People that will stand by your side no matter what." Kuina explained with a hint of excitement in her voice.

Her words and tone had Zoro a bit excited too. "That sounds great, but how do you find one?"

A frown of irritation was suddenly on Kuina's young face. "That I don't know yet... Father said nakama isn't something you can look for. It finds you. I'm not sure what that means..."

Zoro was frowning as well in confusion. "Nakama finds you.."

"Oi!"

The sudden shout had both of the young students raising their heads. Both of them automatically reacted when something red cam flying at them. Easily catching the objects, they were surprised to see bright red apples clutched in their hands.

"Apples..?" Zoro looked up to see a boy with sun colored hair. There was a bright smile on the boy's pale face as he headed past them towards the docks. A large basket of apples was held in his small arms, and there was a bandage on his right hand. "Hey.. Is that the boy that gave you the flower..?"

Kuina smiled brightly on seeing the blond boy. "That's him." she said while giving a cheery wave to the boy.

Zoro watched as the blond boy beamed happily on seeing Kuina's smile, but a sudden shout had the boy turning away.

"Baka chibi-nasu! Quit giving away our stock and get to the ship!" a man with a pegleg barked out.

The boy readily shot the man a glaring pout. "Shut up, Jijih!" he shouted back before running for where the man was pulling a large cart of supplies to the dock.

The two students quietly watched the nameless boy move on to one of the ships and help with loading on the supplies. The other workers on the ship were raising the gangplank and making ready to sail.

"Ah.. He's leaving.." Kuina mumbled quietly as she watched the anchor being took up.

Zoro glanced between his rival and the ship the boy had boarded. "... Maybe he'll come back some day." he offered as he looked at the apple he was holding.

"Maybe..." The apple and the flower were held lightly in her hands as she kept her eyes locked on the boy rushing around the ship. He was helping pulling the lines for the sails and climbing up into the rigging like it was second nature. When the boy finally climbed up into the crows nest her sharp eyes could see the excitement on his pale face as they began to slowly leave the docks.

"... I envy him... He looks... So free. I think that's.. What I want most. That freedom." She admitted before looking back at the apple.

"Freedom..." Zoro repeated as he looked on as the boy on the ship moved out to sea. "So you think there's freedom out there? On the sea?"

"That's what I've heard. People that sail the seas have the most freedom." Kuina let out a soft sigh before lifting her head. It was getting difficult to make out the boy in the crows nest as the ship drifted further away. "I'd like someone that kind to be my nakama. I hope I can meet others like him."

Zoro was quiet for a long moment as they watched the ship sail off towards the horizon. He looked down to the apple in his hand and smiled a bit.

"I hope so too... Come on. Let's get back before Sensei comes looking for us."

"Okay."

_fjfjfjfjfjf_

Zoro wasn't sure what made him think of the long forgotten memory. Perhaps it was being perched on a rock just outside a dock that made him recall it. His glanced over to the swords that were propped up against the large rock. His eyes lingered on the white one before they focused back on Sunny at the docks.

It was a bit surreal when he thought back to the brief conversation with his lost rival. Talk of Nakama and freedom. He hadn't given it much thought back then, but now... Perhaps it was an additional promise that he subconsciously wanted to keep. Once his nakama found him, he wanted to protect them. He knew Kuina would want it that way.

Sometimes he wondered what she would have thought of his nakama. If she would have thought him crazy for going along with such lunatics. If she would have joined them. The thought of having Kuina with him on Sunny with all the others was a puzzling thought. He honestly had no idea how she would have reacted.

'_Nami probably would have pissed her off with that greed... Robin.. She probably would have liked Robin_. _Luffy... Heh.. I can see her being confused as hell about Luffy. Franky and Brook as well. Probably nag Usopp nonstop about growing a backbone. She would have liked Chopper...' _

That left one crew member...

Zoro had recognized that blond hair the moment they got to the Baratie. At first he couldn't quite believe it, but when Luffy recruited the spastic cook, Zoro didn't even attempt to argue. _'Nakama finds you... Perhaps I was just given an early glimpse.'_

It was clear that Sanji didn't remember the brief encounter all those years ago. It wasn't surprising, but part of Zoro had wondered what if the cook did. What if he remembered Kuina? True they didn't know each other, but Zoro remembered the smile Sanji had brought to his old rival's face. The hope that was given with that one flower.

'_... He probably would have driven her crazy with all that over protective flowery crap... But... I think she would have been happy... She would have a reason to smile...'_

Zoro usually didn't dwell over what ifs, but sometimes he couldn't help it. After being on the crew for so long and after everything they had accomplished...

He found himself getting closer to having the life that Kuina wanted. Nakama. Freedom. _'A sparring partner that watches my back...' _The fact it was Sanji...

It almost had him believing in something like fate, but it left one question.

"I'm leeching off her dreams... Is any of it my own.. Or am I living her life for her...?" It was something that constantly went through his head. Where would he be if she hadn't died? Would he still be here? Or would Kuina be the first mate of the strawhats? The thought often kept him up at night. "... Where would I be..?"

"Oi!"

Snapping his attention from his thoughts, Zoro automatically lifted his left hand to catch the object hurtling at him. When he looked what was in his hand he felt his heart skip a beat as his eyes widened slightly. "... An apple..."

His eyes lifted and immediately focused on blond hair. A numb shock fell over him when he saw Sanji approaching him with a basket of red apples in the crook of his left arm.

"Heh. You look like a fish, Marimo." Sanji chuckled as he reached the rock his nakama was perched on.

The insult soon had Zoro shaking off the daze he had fallen into. He was immediately glaring at the cook. "You came over here to tell me that?" he asked blandly.

The cook's shoulders tilted in a casual shrug. "Felt like pointing it out. Saw you lost in thought, so figured I better bring you back. Never can be too careful with your sense of direction. Your mind might wander off into a coma." Sanji teased with a grin.

Zoro's dark eyes narrowed as he folded his arms over his chest. "Go prance back to your kitchen, Princess. I don't feel like putting up with you at the moment." he stated with a flat stare.

Grin shifting into a smirk, Sanji held up his right hand in a gesture of mock surrender. "Fine. Grumpy Marimo. I'll leave you to your mossy thoughts." He lowered his hand to the basket, but instead of turning to go Sanji pulled out a single white flower. Wordlessly he placed the flower on the rock beside the seated swordsman. Right in front of the white katana.

At first Zoro was about to snap at him again, but Zoro's words died before they could even form when he saw the flower. His throat tightened as the flower was placed in front of Kuina's katana. _'He... He remembers...'_

When the pale hand began pulling away, Zoro found himself reaching out and grabbing hold of the thin wrist. His gaze locked on the single blue eye as he tried to force himself to speak. "... You remember..."

Sanji's expression softened into a barely there smile. He made no move to pull away. "I always remember a smile from a beautiful lady."

It was a typical Sanji response, but...

It made Zoro feel better. "You never said..." he pointed out quietly as his eyes locked on the wrist he held captive. His sharp eyes caught sight of three small scars on the cook's thumb.

"Neither did you." Sanji countered lightly. He stood still as Zoro examined his hand.

He couldn't deny that, so Zoro slowly released Sanji's wrist and looked up at the pale face. "... It's like reliving a dream..." he mumbled as the situation settled over him.

Sanji's smile twitched wider as he shook his head. "No. Not reliving it. This is the dream. We're living it now, Marimo." The cook held out his hand to the swordsman. "We'll only wake up when we're finished. We've got a long way to go before that happens."

Zoro looked at the hand for a moment. "What happens when we wake up?"

Another shrug answered as the blond chuckled. "I've no clue. That's what makes it exciting, ne? Come on. Our nakama is waiting."

That answer had Zoro chuckling as well. "Guess so.." He reached out and took the pale hand held out to him. He climbed down off the rock then moved to gather up his katana. As he placed them in his haramaki, his eyes lingered on the white flower on the rock. "... She would have wanted to be here." he said quietly. _'She would have wanted to meet you.'_

"She is here." Sanji corrected as he lightly poked at Zoro's chest. He waited until the puzzled gaze was fixed on him before he spoke. "Keep giving her reasons to smile, Zoro. She'll always be here." With that, Sanji turned to head for the docks where the others were waiting.

Zoro found himself staring in a stunned silence at the sage like words spoken to him. He looked to the flower on the rock, then to the white hilt on his hip. His right hand took hold of the hilt and gripped tight. The words had stirred something deep within him, and suddenly things were a bit clearer.

He wasn't living this life for Kuina.

"I have this life because of her..."

Just like that, things settled within his mind after countless years of wondering.

Zoro glanced up the path and watched the blond walking towards a cart that Chopper was pulling to Sunny. He saw Sanji smiling at something Chopper was excitedly telling him. That same smile that hadn't changed at all after all these years.

'_This is the dream.'_

His attention then turned towards the apple he still had.

He looked at it and found himself smiling a bit.

Zoro placed the apple on the rock next to the flower and turned away.

He headed down the path to return to his nakama.

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfjThe End_ _fjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

Everyone should have a reason to smile.

Later~


End file.
